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What are CPSRs and Why Should You Care?

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We recently told you about the Contractor Purchasing System Review (CPSR) process, and today we will (attempt to) convince you to care about this mega-compliance hurdle. If you want to read more about a CPSR, check out our white paper here.

CPSR Compliance For Government Contractors

There appears to be a trend in government evaluations looking for CPSR compliant contractors. CPSR compliance was an extra 500 points for the recent OASIS bid.  Many of our competitors will happily sell you a CPSR package without blinking at the cost or whether you actually needed it. We only sell this service if it appears to be necessary for your GovCon.  CPSRs are intense and thorough, so if it seems like a reasonable concern, read on to learn about which GovCons need to prepare.

Who needs CPSR?

First, the main factor we tell our clients is to assess how much subcontracting work they do.  If your business weighs heavily on issuing a myriad of subcontracts or large procurements in support of your prime contract awards, then you have checked the first box to “needing” a CPSR compliance plan, as you’re more likely to encounter CPSRs in the operation of your GovCon.  The remaining boxes are comprehensive.

Second, if a majority of your work is with the DoD, you may want to consider checking out DFARS 252. 252.244-7001, the regulatory birth of what a CPSR compliant system looks like. Finally, if your contract says you have to be CPSR compliant – we hope you already have systems in place to pass an audit before signing the dotted line.

Finally, most organizations do not like or want a compliance plan for CPSRs because of the heavy administrative burden it places on corporate processes.  Think about the last time you waited for a large GovCon to issue you a subcontract that was allegedly “on fire.”  In most cases, the subcontractor is issued a letter subcontract or works at-risk with an authorization to proceed (also part of the CPSR compliant program) before the “real” subcontract is issued.  This is because nearly all GovCons with CPSR compliance programs have to take several steps to coordinate awarding a procurement.  These steps were put in place to comply with CPSR requirements.

CPSR Plans & Services

If we have not talked you out of it and you are ready to start the box-checking, administrative hurdles of CPSRs, consider an organization like BOOST that will tailor a CPSR compliance plan to fit your organization. We will not open a canned manual and serve it to you on a platter. We exist to add value. We can provide a customized CPSR plan; if you need it. To find more information on our Accounting Services for Government Contractors or our overall GovCon services, please click here.

The Gift of Expertise

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Note: This post was updated 12/13/2022

Ever feel like you have no clue how to solve a problem in your GovConor that there has to be an answer out there, you just don’t know how to find it?  Do you google randomly trying to figure it out, only to not be satisfied with the results?  Or (if you are like me), do you just want someone to freaking deal with it and tell you what to do in this circumstance?  Do you feel like you know it’s important, but there are a ton of things that you’d rather be doing or should focus on when it comes to your GovCon? Our GovCon experts at BOOST LLC can help you strategize a plan, figuring out exactly what should be an outsourced GovCon service and what should remain in-house. Your GovCon isn’t the same as a regular business, why use regular outsourcing services when we have experts in outsourcing GovCon services to ensure your GovCon gets the exact help it needs, at a price that works for your budget.

As you plan for 2022, be thinking about what expertise you need in the new year.  What will help move your GovCon forward and, more importantly, grow your profit?  What is worthy of your time and what isn’t?  When do you play it safe with an outside opinion?  (answer:  Anything with a ton of money on the line or employee issues – call the expert!).

Here’s a short list of items that folks waste time on by doing themselves for their GovCon instead of calling an expert to save a ton of time and in the right circumstances, a ton of money:

  • Affirmative Action Plans
  • Taxes
  • GSA Schedules
  • Employee handbooks
  • Policies and Procedures (to start)
  • CMMI/ISO certification
  • Office Space/Office Moves
  • FAR Compliance
  • Proposal Price/Cost Volume development and Analysis
  • Indirect Rates development and Analysis
  • Strategic Pricing/Price to Win Analysis
  • M&A (when you don’t have a shop of your own)
  • Website development
  • Complex IT Challenges
  • Bookkeeping
  • Graphic Design
  • Payroll

This holiday season, give yourself the gift of getting crap off your plate.  Budget for using an expert in one or more of these areas next year.  Reclaim your time and rest easy knowing that outsourcing GovCon services will provide a net positive!

If you need a referral or recommendation to anyone providing these services, just give us a shout.